


Supreme Leaders are Invincible

by emoshuichi



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Angst, M/M, Sad Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:54:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27010834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emoshuichi/pseuds/emoshuichi
Summary: He was only there for a second, maybe even less than that, before he was hit with such force that he was knocked to the ground. The impact that he felt as his body hit the rough stone ground was so strong that he instantly began to black out. His vision became hazy and the voices around him seemed distant, like they were fading out into the distance, into some empty nothingness filled void.37 missed calls. 110 unread messages. 9 voicemails.Kokichi was a liar, Shuichi knew that. But he didn't expect him to be lying that time.
Relationships: Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 15
Kudos: 122





	1. Today's the Day!

Kokichi walked out of his apartment and locked the door with a flourish, a bright smile clearly plastered on his face. Today was his big day - he only had one chance to do this. He placed a casual hand in one of his pockets and began fiddling with the scarf that hung loosely around his neck. It was a habit that he’d acquired over the years as a result of his anxiety. It wasn’t something he could help and people around him didn’t really seem to mind so he tried not to worry too much about it. It was just one of those quirks that people have right? That’s what Shuichi said anyways.

Kokichi sighed, and after making sure that the scarf was exactly in the centre of his signature DICE uniform, he let his other hand rest by his side. As he walked, he thought about other things that Shuichi had said.

_“It’s just one of those quirks that people have, right?”_

_Kokichi looked up to see Shuichi smiling at him tenderly._

_“You’re not a freak Kokichi, everyone has little habits like that. Do you remember my emo hat phase? I used to constantly adjust it so that I wouldn’t have to make eye contact with anyone.”_

_Kokichi laughed as he remembered the amount of jokes that he’d made about Shuichi's so-called ‘emo hat’._

_“So don’t worry too much, okay? I love you and that will never change, no matter how many weird things that you do.” ___

__

__After they’d both graduated from Hope’s Peak Academy, Shuichi had suggested that they move in together. It was a decision that he was grateful that he made every day - he wouldn’t be who he was today if it wasn’t for his beloved Shumai. Shuichi always blushed whenever he’d use that nickname, so he’d make sure to only use on the most special of occasions._ _

__People raised their eyebrows as Kokichi strolled by, not to his surprise. Standing at a mere 5’1”, Kokichi was the last person that you’d expect to be a leader of an organisation with over 10,000 members. A black cape swirled around him as he walked and a black and gold hat bearing the signature DICE logo rested on top of his unruly purple hair. He gave off a sort of bright energy as he walked, like his confidence was oozing into the air around him._ _

__As he approached DICE headquarters, he stared at the two people standing outside of the building, Diamond and Queenie. They looked up abruptly and immediately started waving to their leader._ _

__“Boss!” Queenie called from the other side of the road, her ponytails being messily blown around._ _

__Kokichi stuck one of his signature poses, placing a finger at an angle over his lips and changing his expression into a smirk. Diamond and Queenie were two abandoned siblings that he’d found whilst recruiting the earliest members of DICE. They were some of his closest friends that he considered to be family and had stuck by him throughout the years, despite all of the crazy stunts that he’d pulled._ _

__Kokichi broke into a slight run as he crossed the road, his cape fluttering behind him. He couldn’t wait to tell them what he’d planned for today. Everything had already been prepared, it was going to be-_ _

__His thoughts got cut off by the initial shock of what happened after._ _

__He was only there for a second, maybe even less than that, before he was hit with such force that he was knocked to the ground. The impact that he felt as his body hit the rough stone ground was so strong that he instantly began to black out. His vision became hazy and the voices around him seemed distant, like they were fading out into the distance, into some empty nothingness filled void. A squeal from the car’s wheels as it sped away from the scene and Diamond and Queenie’s desperate pleas for help were the last things that he heard before his consciousness faded away._ _

__

____“Somebody help! Please!” _____ _ __

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thanks for reading my first fanfic! This chapter was pretty short I know, but I'll try to make them longer in the future. Feedback would be appreciated.
> 
> Have a great day or night!


	2. A Loud Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi arrives home from work, but something is off. Very, very off. He's made a huge mistake.

Shuichi sighed as he opened the door to his shared apartment, chuckling at the mask that his roommate had dropped on the way out and making a mental note to return it to him when he got home. A hastily scribbled note was waiting for him on the kitchen table, which Shuichi instantly recognised as Kokichi's child-like scrawl. 

_Hey Shuichi,_

_I'll be home early today, kay? Me and DICE are only planning to demolish 12 towers and kidnap 4 dogs so I won't be too busy. Don't make any dinner - I'm taking us out on a surprise date!_

_\- Kokichi_

Shuichi smiled as he read the letter that Kokichi had left for him. Demolishing a couple buildings and stealing people's dogs were among the many things that Kokichi would describe DICE doing, not that any of it was true anyways. But that was his boyfriend for you, and telling the truth was not one of his strong points.

Gently folding the note and stuffing it into his pocket, Shuichi climbed up the stairs and walked into Kokichi's room. A black and white checkered pattern adorned the walls and a huge corkboard hung above his desk. A small wooden bed that had the same checkered print bed sheets resting on top was placed in the corner of the room. Various photos and selfies were messily tacked up over the walls, some of DICE, some Kokichi and him together, some of their old classmates, even one of Maki who Kokichi claimed to hate. A particular photo seemed to catch Shuichi's eye; it was a small polaroid image of him asleep at his desk with a forgotten cup of coffee next to his head. When did Kokichi even take this?

_"Good morning sleepyhead!" Kokichi greeted him as he groggily brushed his hair out of his eyes. "You're finally up Shuichi!"_

_"Kokichi...am I late for work?" Shuichi asked, still half asleep._

_"Nope! I bought your detective company and all your co-workers have been replaced by DICE! Isn't it great?" Kokichi responded cheerfully, skipping around Shuichi's room._

_"Very funny Kokichi," Shuichi deadpanned, tiredly stretching out his arms. "I can go back to sleep for a bit if I'm not late. Wake me up when it's half past, kay?"_

_"Okie dokie, Mr Detective!"_

He probably took that right before he woke him up. Upon further inspection, he noticed a messily written inscription below: _'my beloved Shumai'_. A pink tint covered Shuichi’s cheeks - it was always so embarrassing when Kokichi called him Shumai and he always seemed to use it just to see Shuichi blush. 

Shuichi shook his head in disbelief and turned around to pick up what he came in for. Computer charger in hand, he shut the door and walked back to his room. 

_Kokichi should probably be home soon, I’ll just finish some leftover case files while I’m waiting for him._

His friends always teased him about his constant habit of working (he was a workaholic, according to Kaede) but it was a habit that he just couldn’t seem to break. It wasn’t like he loved working that much, it was just that he needed something to distract him from the depths of his mind. And that something just happened to be overworking himself to the point of exhaustion. Kokichi loved telling him to loosen up, that he should live his life as much as possible, that his work could wait and that there were way more important things to do than solve case files. And Shuichi would always brush him off, telling him that he could go out with him later, that he was nearly finished, that he liked being that way.

Shuichi stared at the clock on the bottom right on his screen. _18:45_ His eyes widened, Kokichi should have been home over 2 hours ago, especially since he said he was going to be home early. Had he really been lost in his thoughts for that long? Anxiously, he turned on his phone, and he thought he could have fainted right there. 37 missed calls. 110 unread messages. 9 voicemails. Silently cursing himself for always leaving his phone on silent, Shuichi swiftly typed in his password and checked his notifications.

_Kaede: 15 missed calls, 4 voicemails_

_Rantaro: 12 missed calls, 3 voicemails_

_Kaito: 7 missed calls, 2 voicemails_

_Maki: 3 missed calls_

Shuichi’s heart began to race and with shaking hands, he opened his messages app.

_Kaede: Shuichi, you need to come to the hospital now!_

_Kaede: Shuichi it’s urgent!_

_Kaede: Please_

_Kaede: Kokichi’s hurt Shuichi!_

_Rantaro: Kokichi’s in the hospital, he’s been in an accident_

_Rantaro: Hurry up Shuichi!_

_Kaito: Shuichi where are you?_

_Kaito: We need you to get here quickly. Room 621_

_Maki: Shuichi get here now._

_Maki: Shuichi stop ignoring your phone and move your ass!_

_Maki: SHUICHI. FUCKING. SAIHARA. GET YOUR ASS TO THE HOSPITAL NOW_

Shuichi’s breath seemed to hitch, he was beginning to find it difficult to breathe properly. What had happened to Kokichi? Scrolling past the other 99 messages, he clicked on his voicemail inbox. Shuichi tapped on the latest one, Kaito's voicemail from an hour ago.

"Shuichi. Shuichi if you hear this you need to come to the hospital. Kokichi's dying, please." Kaito's voice was scarcely audible, like he was trying to prevent himself from letting out a sob. "We don't know if he can make it out of this one. So please, hurry up and get here, I'm begging you Shuichi."

The voicemail ended abruptly. Shuichi didn't know how to react. A loud silence echoed throughout the room, filling the air with unease. His phone slipped from his hands that were now clammy with sweat, crashing into the floor with enough force to crack the screen. The sound of it hitting the ground shattered the silence right then and there and brought him back to his senses.

Shuichi ran from the room, his face dripping with tears of fear, and hurriedly threw himself into the front seat of his car. Hardly daring to believe what he'd just heard, he slammed his foot down onto the accelerator, trying to let out all of his emotions onto the pedal beneath his foot. Now all he had to do was hope that Kokichi could hold on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you for all the love on the first chapter, I really wasn't expecting so many people to read my fic. Chapter 3 should be out on Tuesday.
> 
> Have an amazing day/night! <3


	3. Invincible, but not Completely

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi arrives at the hospital, and Maki has more than a few words to say to him.

Shuichi frantically ran into Room 621, narrowly avoiding a collision with a passing nurse. She shot an annoyed look at him, but it quickly softened when she realised who he was.

Shuichi threw open the door, swiftly glancing around the room for his boyfriend, DICE, anyone who could tell him anything about the state that Kokichi was in.

"I'm- I'm here," he whispered, panting heavily.

Four gloomy faces looked up at him and for once they had nothing to say to each other. Nothing, no jokes, no insults, just a cold hard silence. Him, Kokichi, Kaede, Rantaro, Kaito and Maki - it had always been the six of them. Yet, no one could say anything. The atmosphere was heavy and uninviting, and Shuichi felt a slight urge to turn and leave, like he was unwanted in this place.

Maki was the first to break the ice, glaring at Shuichi with such intensity that he felt as though it would burn a hole right through him.

"Where were you? Where were you Shuichi? We've been trying to contact you for nearly two hours, and you only decide to come here  **now** ? Kokichi was your boyfriend Shuichi, do you really not care enough to come to his side after he's been in a car accident?!" 

"My phone, i-i-it was on sile-"

“Oh it was on silent now was it?" Maki's tone was cold in contrast to her piercing stare. Cold, bitter and dripping with sarcasm.

"Pathetic. A pathetic excuse from a pathetic human. How dare you Shuichi, how dare you."

"I-I-"

"Shut up. I don't want to hear your voice." 

Maki's voice began to crack and the pain in her voice was evident as she spoke.

"He loved you Shuichi. He loved you so much, yet you never returned that affection to him. He was in so much pain, yet he kept a smile on his face, wanting the last moments that he spent with you to be happy ones. But you never showed up, not until now, anyways. He died half an hour ago, without you by his side. Do you want to know what his last words were? _ 'Tell Shumai I love him, forever and always'. _ He was always there for you, but you could never be there for him because your beloved case files were so important. So there, are you happy? He's dead. Do you hear me Shuichi?  _ He's fucking dead! _ "

Tears welled up in her crimson eyes as she said that, and she stifled a quiet sob behind her hand. Kaito, sensing the tension in the room, led her out of the room, putting his arms around her and squeezing her tightly.

Shuichi sat down next to Kaede and put his face in his hands, tears falling freely from his eyes. The reality of what had happened was beginning to sink in. And it hurt. So, so much.

"It's all my fault. Why am I so stupid? What kind of boyfriend am I? And now he's gone…"

Shuichi's voice trailed off. A memory played at the back of his mind, teasing him with fragments of the past that he'd never be able to relive.

_ "Kokichi get down from there! You're going to hurt yourself!" Shuichi called, anxiously looking up at his boyfriend. _

_ Kokichi laughed, swinging another leg in front of him, threatening to tip himself off the edge of the bridge. The increased volume and panic in Shuichi's voice only made him laugh harder. _

_ "Is Shuichi worried about me? Why, that's certainly a big difference to what you said when we first met. What was it again? Oh yes, I remember now, it was 'I don't care about you, and I never will. So stay away from me, got it?' Maybe I should throw myself off this bridge, since you always want me to listen to what you have to say. Would I be far away enough from you then?" _

_ "Kokichi please!" _

_ "Aw you're no fun. But since Saihara-chan said please, I guess I'll have to listen to him." _

_ Kokichi jumped down from the edge of the bridge, landing with a thump at Shuichi's feet. He stood up instantly, stretching his arms out in a theatrical manner. _

_ "There, are you happy now?"  _

_ Shuichi wrapped his arms around him and buried his face in his purple hair, a strong grape soda scent filling his nostrils. _

_ "Don't ever do that again, okay? I don't know what I'd do if you got hurt." Shuichi whispered, softly stroking his hair. _

_ "Silly Shuichi." Kokichi exclaimed, pulling away from the hug so that he could see his face. He pointed his thumb at himself and gazed into his boyfriend's golden eyes. _

_ "I'm Kokichi Ouma, the Ultimate Supreme Leader. Supreme leaders are invincible. Nothing can hurt me." _

  
  
  
  


Supreme leaders are invincible.

  
  
  
  
  
  


_ Invincible. _

  
  
  
  
  
  


Supreme leaders are invincible, that's what Kokichi told him. Shuichi knew that Kokichi was a liar, but he didn't expect that to be a lie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Sorry this chapter is up a bit late (I know it's still Tuesday but I kinda wanted this up a few hours ago) I've been super busy with homework lately. Chapter 4 should be out on Friday or Saturday.
> 
> Have a fantastic day/night! <3


	4. Your Fault, My Fault

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guilt affects everyone in different ways.

Seeing Kokichi's body on the hospital bed made it all seem real. The purple haired leader lay in a helpless heap, unmoving and unbreathing. A trace of a smile was still etched on his face, and Shuichi wished that Kokichi would suddenly sit up and scream, "It's a lie!" whilst uncontrollably laughing. He gripped his boyfriend's hand so tightly that his knuckles turned white, tears of guilt and regret still falling down his face.

"I'm sorry Kokichi, so so sorry. I wish I could just turn back time and make you stay home with me, so this would have never happened," Shuichi murmured, sniffling loudly. "I love you a lot, you know? I love you so much Kokichi. I'm sorry, I really am. It's my fault that you died."

Shuichi buried his face in Kokichi's arm, his tears quickly soaking the white fabric.

  
  


°°°

Outside of Room 621 a group of 10 pranksters stood in a circle. They were all clad in nearly identical white uniforms and checkered scarves. A girl with light brown twin pigtails was crying, shaking and trembling with every breath she took. Every member of their group was crying, but she was clearly the most noticeable, since her sobs were able to be heard from an entire floor below.

"It's all my fault!" Queenie wailed, clutching her brother and letting her tears fall on his shoulder. "I shouldn't have called out to him. I shouldn't have joined DICE in the first place. I killed our boss! Kokichi is dead because of me!"

Diamond looked down at his sister, not knowing how to respond. The grief of losing their boss had hit them like a truck, but Queenie had clearly been one of the worst affected. She'd been stuck in this state since she saw Kokichi’s body, and had been crying on his shoulder for hours, repetitively screaming about how she was to blame. 

“Don’t say that! You know it’s not true! It’s all that car driver’s fault - he’s the one who hit Kokichi, he’s the reason that he’s…” 

Diamond couldn’t bring himself to say it. Kokichi had always been full of life, a ball of never ending energy, so for him to suddenly be  _ dead  _ was something that he simply couldn’t come to terms with. Nothing had ever seemed to faze him, even if he had broken both of his legs and arms, Kokichi would always be the same. The same chaotic little leader that they’d grown to love, now just wasn’t the same. He was gone. Everyone knew that, but no one wanted to accept it. No one could accept something as drastic as that so easily.

  
  
  


°°°

  
  


“Shuichi? Shuichi, it’s past midnight, what are you still doing here?” Rantaro asked, gently tapping him on the shoulder.

Shuichi mumbled a string of incoherent words, something along the lines of wanting to stay by Kokichi’s side and feeling guilty for leaving him alone for so long. Rantaro’s expression softened, instantly understanding the pain that he was feeling. The loss of a loved one was a difficult thing to cope with, and in Rantaro’s case, he’d experienced that pain 12 separate times. Accidentally losing all of your sisters around the world wasn’t exactly the same as the death of your lover, but it still hurt equally as much.

“Come on Shuichi, you can sleep in the room next door,” Rantaro whispered, lightly tugging on the back of Shuichi’s shirt. “I’ll tell the nurse to set up a bed there so you can still be near to him.”

Shuichi nodded and, after casting a final glance over Kokichi’s pale body, he stood up and followed Rantaro out of the room. 

“Now get some sleep, kay? Kokichi is safe next door and I’ll be sleeping on the air mattress that I always keep in my backpack.” Rantaro said softly, patting Shuichi’s now tousled dark blue hair.

Shuichi watched as the adventurer turned to fetch his belongings from his car, watching as the triangle of light peeking through from the brightly lit corridor gradually shrunk, until it was nothing more than a tiny yellow sliver. Of course the Ultimate Adventurer would have all the necessary survival materials at his disposal. He rolled onto his side and pulled the pastel coloured bed sheets over his head, trying to shut out the world that he despised more than anything else. Maybe, just maybe, if he did that, everything would go back to normal.

_ Shuichi watched as the events of the morning replayed right in front of his eyes. He ate breakfast with Kokichi, put on his detective uniform and kissed him on the cheek before turning to leave, rambling about some random investigation that he so desperately needed to finish. That Shuichi seemed so different to the one that he was now. Shuichi brought his attention back to the scene in front of him, only to find that it’d changed. He now stood outside of a building with a girl with twin ponytails and a similar looking brown haired boy, a person that Shuichi assumed was the girl’s brother. A purple haired boy, dressed in a white uniform accessorised with a long black cape and matching hat, strolled along the opposite side of the road, pausing to smile and wave at the people stood next to him. He ran across the road, his face beaming with pure joy, only to freeze at the split second when a car sped down the road, colliding with him with a painful amount of force and knocking him to the ground. Shuichi called out in horror, trying to sprint towards him and get him the medical attention that he so desperately needed, only to find that neither his voice nor his legs seemed to work. No sound came out of his gaping mouth and his feet felt like they were glued to the spot. All he could do was stand there helpless, unable to do anything, and watch the love of his life take his final breaths. _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! It's half term right now, so I should be able to post 2 or 3 chapters next week. 
> 
> Have a brilliant day/night! <3


	5. Broken Minds

Rantaro couldn't sleep. His mind had been plaguing him for the past couple of hours and no matter what he did, nothing would drown out its merciless whispering. 

_ You could have saved him this morning. You could have offered him a lift to work. You could have invited him over to your place. You could have prevented this. _

Rantaro shook his head and placed his hands over his ears, not wanting to hear any more. Kokichi's death had screwed with everyone's minds, affecting everyone differently, but everyone was affected nonetheless. Take Maki for example. She'd always claimed that she hated Kokichi, yet there she was, bawling her eyes out over his corpse. Rantaro turned over to face Shuichi. He was sprawled out underneath a mess of bed sheets, snoring softly.

Maybe the reason that Maki had been so mad at Shuichi was because she'd always held a grudge against Kokichi and never showed any form of affection towards him. Shuichi, on the other hand, had plenty of opportunities to make Kokichi feel loved, but only chose to do so every so often, perhaps not intentionally, but Rantaro wished he'd put a little more care into looking after his boyfriend. 

A scream from Shuichi interrupted his thoughts. 

"Stop! Stop, please! Kokichi! Move out of the way!  _ Kokichi! _ "

The blue haired boy was now squirming restlessly in his bed, screaming for the Kokichi that he wouldn't be able to save.  _ Nightmares, huh? _ , Rantaro thought, getting up from his mattress to wake the distressed Shuichi up.

"Shuichi? Wake up, it isn't real," Rantaro whispered, softly shaking him awake.

"Kokichi…" Shuichi murmured blearily. "I couldn't save him, he couldn't hear me! Why couldn't he hear me?"

"Shuichi, it was a dream. You weren't there, we're in the hospital right now."

Shuichi fell silent and collected his thoughts, blinking slowly as if trying to process the situation. His face crumpled and he buried his head in Rantaro's chest, quietly crying. 

"I still wasn't able to save him Rantaro. I can't even save him in a dream, let alone in real life. I'm useless!"

  
  


°°°

Rantaro sighed as he walked up to the door to Shuichi’s apartment, shaking his head in disbelief. Shuichi had been a mess ever since the accident, and had to be constantly monitored since. It had taken days to even convince him to go back to go back to rest there, days of repetitive begging and reasoning. Kaede and Kaito had been checking up on Shuichi daily, and they’d been given the same responses each time. He was the epitome of an emotional wreck, he was either curled up in a ball and crying in his bed or completely unresponsive. No one had been able to get a word out of him since he’d set foot into his apartment, not to anyone’s surprise.

To Rantaro’s surprise, however, the door happened to be unlocked.  _ That’s strange _ , Rantaro thought,  _ Shuichi’s always been so uptight about security. _

The hallway that he entered was the perfect representation of the person living inside; it was the scene of a mental breakdown. A crumpled brown trench coat was discarded in a corner, and piles of half finished laundry were strewn across the floor. A forgotten bag of groceries, presumably from Kaede, sat in the centre of the hallway, its contents beginning to spill out of its sides. 

Taking care to not step on anything, Rantaro made his way to the living room, which he discovered was empty, aside from the large amount of clutter that covered the entire area. The kitchen and bathroom again, lacked the presence of the blue haired boy that he’d come to check on. 

“Shuichi? Where are you?” Rantaro called out, turning to leave the equally as messy bathroom.

There was no response. A memory of a time when he played hide and seek with his friends briefly flitted across his mind, and Rantaro felt a sort of bittersweet ache in his chest. He’d do anything to relive that memory, to be able to feel that blissful happiness again, to spend his time just being the carefree young adult that he was supposed to be. A small clatter from the room beside him brought Rantaro back to reality. 

The door to the room was already partially open, and the silhouette of a familiar detective was visibly standing in the middle. The room, like the others around it, was a mess. However, the way that the objects were so haphazardly arranged seemed intentional, like the person who owned the room had wanted it to look like that. The instantly recognisable checkered print bed covers were an immediate giveaway as to who’s room this was.  _ Kokichi.  _ Shuichi turned to face him, wearing a clearly shocked expression. He raised his hand, letting the small item he was holding catch the light, and uttered three words.

“What is this?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I've just finished writing the final two chapters so I'll be posting one on Thursday and one on Friday. 
> 
> Have a spectacular day/night! <3


	6. Going to be Perfect

Shuichi bit his lip as he lay on the bed of his dead lover. The faintest trace of grape soda scented the sheets, a smell that was one of the biggest comforts to him. He felt tears rolling down his cheeks for what felt like the hundredth time that day, and he didn’t even bother brushing them away with his fingers, knowing that it’d be pointless since they’d just continue to fall. Shuichi stood up abruptly and reached for the handle of the bedside table’s drawer, trying to search for a tissue to blow his nose on. The drawer was partially stuck in its place, but after a couple seconds of gently pulling on the handle, it finally dislodged. 

A single black box sat in the centre and out of genuine curiosity (and perhaps his detective instincts) Shuichi picked it up and held it in front of his eyes. Slowly, Shuichi prised the lid open, mentally observing that the contents wasn’t that heavy. His eyes widened.  _ A ring?  _ The ring consisted of one gold band and one silver band crossing over each other, the gold studded with small blue gems and the silver with purple.  _ Was it… an engagement ring?  _

He took it out of its container with trembling hands, accidentally sending the box tumbling to the floor.  _ It couldn’t, it just couldn’t be an engagement ring, right?  _ Shuichi heard gentle footsteps gradually approaching him, and he turned to face the person making them. He was greeted with a confused looking Rantaro, who stared at the ring in his hand.

“What is this?” he whispered.

  
  


°°°

  
  


“Shuichi, I-” Rantaro mumbled, not knowing how to phrase it.

Rantaro knew fully well what Shuichi was holding, yet he couldn't bear to say it aloud.

_ “Well? What do you think? You are the ring expert after all!” _

_ A genuinely nervous Kokichi sat on his bed, waiting for a response from the taller boy. He’d been designing the ring that Rantaro held in his palm for weeks, and had even persuaded Angie (with the promise of some spray paint) to make it for him.  _

_ “It’s beautiful Kokichi,” Rantaro said, closely inspecting the gemstones that studded it. _

_ “I know right!” Kokichi responded brightly. “I had Kiyo search out these jewels for this, it took forever but it’s definitely worth it!” _

_ Rantaro smiled, knowing how excited the purple haired boy was. Everyone from their old class knew about Kokichi’s plan to propose, and had helped out in one way or another, even people like Tenko and Maki. _

_ Rantaro handed the ring back to him before asking, “Have you prepared everything? You’re going to do it tomorrow, right?”  _

_ “Yep! Me and DICE are going to set up the area tomorrow morning and I’m going to come home early to take Shuichi on a surprise date! Kaede’s gonna be doing all the music stuff since that’s her thing, and Kirumi’s making all the food. It’s going to be perfect ‘Taro, I know it!” _

“He was going to propose, wasn’t he?” Shuichi whispered, avoiding eye contact with Rantaro. “That’s why he was going to be home early. That’s why he looked so nervous that morning. He was going to give this to me.”

Rantaro nodded silently, blinking quickly to hide the fact that he was crying. He wrapped his arms around the smaller boy, burying his face in his hair. 

  
  


_ “It’s going to be perfect ‘Taro, I know it!” _

  
  
  


**_“I know it!”_ **

  
  
  


"I'm sorry Shuichi."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again! There's one chapter left to go before this fic is complete. Stay tuned for that tomorrow!
> 
> Have a wonderful day/night! <3


	7. Epilogue

Things were different now. Very, very different to what they were a year ago. 

Maki had cut her ties with everyone, even Kaito, refusing to speak to any person remotely related to the accident. Her mental health had decreased rapidly ever since then, and it worried all of her old classmates. No one had heard from her for nearly 5 months, and even then it was only that she'd been seen going to visit a therapist by Kaede. 

DICE, and Queenie and Diamond in particular, was never the same. The main group of 10 pranksters had taken over the company, but each chose to use the title of head manager instead of 'boss' out of respect for Kokichi. Queenie had taken the longest to recover, and still had occasional nightmares about the accident. Diamond and all the other members of DICE, had had a difficult time persuading her to stay in their group, saying that Kokichi would have wanted her to stay. Everyone, no matter how much it hurt, wanted to continue the group in the same way that Kokichi had.

Shuichi was alone. Not physically of course, since he had multiple co-workers and friends trying to support him, but more emotionally. The hardest thing to adjust to was continuing with your life whilst knowing that the existence of an entire person was gone. Kokichi's room, and all of his possessions, had been left where they'd been, and were beginning to gather a thin layer of dust on their surface. There were several expired Panta cans in their fridge and his clothes were simply folded and hung up in his wardrobe. 

Shuichi had also fallen back into his old habit of wearing his 'emo hat'. He was constantly depressed, even a year later, and still blamed himself for Kokichi’s fate. Kaito and Kaede didn’t really talk to him that much now - not that he could blame them for that. Rantaro was the only person that continued to stay by his side; he’d bought an apartment directly next to his to make his life easier when he was checking up on him.

  
  


°°°

  
  


Shuichi woke up suddenly. A half empty bottle of Panta lay on the floor next to him and he reached for it groggily. He’d started drinking the grape flavoured soda as a sort of coping mechanism to help with the aftermath of Kokichi’s death. 

_ Shuichi woke up suddenly. A purple haired boy lay next to him, his arms wrapped around Shuichi’s waist.  _

Discarding the container in the nearby bin, Shuichi turned on his phone, which lit up with an old selfie of Kokichi doing the peace sign.

_ Kokichi stirred slowly, rubbing his eyes and yawning loudly.  _

_ “Good morning Shumai!” _

One of the habits that he’d picked up shortly after the accident was constantly checking his phone, for the fear that something else terrible would happen. Shuichi let out a small sigh at the sight of that image, and hastily typed in his phone password. 

_ “Morning, Kokichi.” Shuichi mumbled, stretching his arms out behind him. _

  
  


_ 0 new notifications _

He threw his phone aside, not caring that it would probably crack the screen, not that it would matter anyways. 

  
  


_ Kokichi giggled. “Do you remember what day it is today Shumai?” _

It was June the 21st. Shuichi supposed that he should do something to honour Kokichi, since he presumed that he would be unhappy seeing him in that state.

_ “Happy birthday Kokichi!” Shuichi yawned, still half asleep. _

_ “Did you get me a present? I love presents! No one ever gets me anything - you didn’t forget did you?” _

_ “You’re such a liar, DICE literally rented out the entire amusement park for you last time.” _

_ “But that was DICE! What about you?” _

A small black box sat on his dresser and slowly, Shuichi walked towards it. He hadn’t opened that box in over a year, since he couldn’t bear to think of what had happened that day. The ring still looked exactly the same, shimmering in the early morning sun, basking in all its glory. Shuichi took a deep breath, and after a moment of complete silence, he placed it on his finger.

“Happy birthday Kokichi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... that's the end of my first fic! Thank you so much to everyone who bothered to read it, my writing's not the best but I'm glad that there are people that enjoyed it. Also after reading this back I've noticed how much I like ending chapters on random bits of dialogue which I actually didn't notice before.
> 
> I'm not sure how much I'll be able to write for a while, since I'm pretty busy at the moment. I do, however, have 2 decently large projects planned so I should be able to get those out at some point.
> 
> Happy Halloween everybody, and have a marvellous day/night! <3


End file.
